Catamenial device



Sept. 7, 1937. F. A. ROSS 2,092,427

GATAMENIAL DDDD CE Original Filed July 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Sept. 7,1937

U ITED STATES PATENT. bF E Application July 13,1932, sens! No. 622,359

Renewed June 412. 1934.

17 Claims. (01. ins-ass) My invention relates to improvements in catamenial devices, and the present application'is, in part, a continuation of my application, Serial No. 481,921, filed. September th, 1930, for Catamenial appliances, and the objects of my invention are: 1st, to make a catamenial device, here-. inafter referred to as a pack, of highly absorbent homogeneous vegetable matter of such uniform .poro'sity that it will expand substantially uniformly throughout itsmass during the absorption process, but not enough to be uncomfortable to the wearer, and one readily disintegrated by water and which is free of any permanently containing or restraining or distorting core or body so that the pack may readily assume any shape imposed upon it on its passage through the vaginal canal to its final location at the uterine cervix in which final location its shape or position can be mechanically altered by the user; 2nd, to preferably make my pack out of suitable porous paper stock; 3rd, to make my pack preferably in laminated state; 4th, to insure the removal of the whole of the pack after use; 5th, to

provide means to penetrate the muscule barrier or wall and dilate the lower portion of the vaginal canal while placing the pack, without discomfort to the user; 6th, to provide a pack which,

' while thoroughly efficient for the purpose for which it is designed, shall be readily disintegrated by water in the plumbing system; 7th, to

provide a pack which will cause the wearer abcanal, and in the following specification and the drawings forming part thereof, I shall describe andillustrate several species within my inven-- tion, and what I claim as new will-be set forth in the claims forming part of this specification.

Fig. 1 is an anatomical view of a portion of a human body with one of my packs in operative position at the uterine cervix. Fig.2 is alongitudinal section through the sheath containing the pack with one end open to show the manner in which the inserting instrument is used. Fig. 3 is a side view of the preferred form of pack. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views similar to Fig. 3 except that the inserting instrument is shown associatedtherewith. In these views the sheath is not shown. Fig. 4 shows the relative positions of the pack and inserting instrument when the pack is in the sheathas shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows the pack as positioned in the cavity and the inserting instrument rotated to spread the pack, and Fig. 6 shows the pack completely spread by the inserting instrument, within the cavity. Figs. 7 and 8 are end elevations of modified forms of my pack. Figs. 9 and 10 are cross sections through modified forms of the preferred form of my pack, showing the binder associated therewith that insures the withdrawal of the whole. of the pack after use. Fig. 11 is a cross section through an alternative form of pack in which the laminae are more or less dished, and Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the inserting instrument showing the manner in which the spreading end thereof is mounted in place.

In the drawings, like characters of reference will be no differential throughout its mass in the absorbing quality thereof as is the case where a tampon or pack is composed of materials of different natures. Because of its nature, my pack possesses no dead areas or portions, that is, areas-or portions which have not the-same absorbing capacity as the main body of the pack.

Broadly considered, my pack may be made in any desired state. That is, it may be made in niatted, felted, or laminated form. In the preferred form of my invention, and modifications thereof, I make my pack of suitable porous paper stock with a high capacity for absorption and which is readily disintegrated'by water. A type of paper stock I prefer to use is that used in the manufacture of well known grades of toilet paper having the above qualities.

In devices of-this class, it is most essential that the pack possess a very high capacity for absorption and with the minimum increase in size or bulk so as not to discomfort the wearer.

The vaginal'canal is normally in a position of collapse in its lower portion for three-quarters or four-fifths of its length. The lower third is always closed, and its walls in apposition, as a result of the action of the muscular tissue or wall 2 shown in Fig. 1. Therefore it is self-evident that since the walls oi'. this canal are exceedingly sensitive, some means is required to dilate that portion of the canal that is closed by said muscular barrier or wall and to protect from friction the sensitive walls of the canal as the pack is advanced and placed in position.

As soon as the pack is advanced beyond the 5 lower segment of the vagina, this muscular tissue or wall closes oi! the vaginal mouth so that finally the above this muscular tissue or wall. It will therefore be self-evident that this pack cannot be dislodged through movements of the wearer's body. This is an important feature of this invention.

The sheath when used is not passed any further into the vaginal canal than the lower third which is muscle-gripped.

The pack is made in various forms or shapes, and it preferably embraces a plurality of layers each preferably comprising a multiplicity of laminae, and each pack is provided at a convenient place with a cord 3' which permits its removal.

I are the various layers or laminae of the pack, and in Figs. 3 to '7 the layers are formed by spirally winding, more or less loosely, a strip of suitable vegetable matter preferably paper stock, of the required length. The ends 5 and 6 of these strips are preferably located so that the binding-cord 3 will embrace same.

In order to avoid possibility that the withdrawal string may cut through the paper under certain conditions, and to insure the withdrawal of all parts of a laminated pack after use, I prefer touse a string-like slough preventing member 'I wound a suitable number of turns in with the pack as it is being formed in its more or less ring-like form, and I find from actual practice that this slough preventing member prevents the sloughing away of any portion of the pack during its removal.

The slough preventing member I must be made of material more resistant to the disintegrating eifect of moisture than the body of the pack. I find that ordinarily.a linen thread answers the purpose satisfactorily.

In Fig. 8 the slough preventing member I is 45 shown as passed through the laminae from side to side of the device. Some such arrangement is desirable because this pack comprises a multiplicity of separate strips of the paper-like material, assembled, formed and folded to the 50 desired dimensions of the pack; and in such pack the layers are unconnected at their free ends;

7 hence the desirability of having slough-preventing, tension-transmitting means, I, pass through the pack from side to side as described.

Figs. 9 and 10 show cross sections through modified forms of the preferred form of the pack. In Fig. 9 certain of the laminae 4 are of different widths, whereas in Fig. 10 these laminae are substantially the same width but in staggered 60 relationship so that certain edges of the laminae will project beyond the intermediate edges. This construction prevents the formation of any sharp edges. The pack, when compressed will have a rounded instead of sharp edges or corners. Ex- 65 perience has shown that the said staggered edges are very serviceable in that they permit the pack to be made more cylindrical in shape in its elongated form, and when it is cracked open in its functioning position these staggered edges assist 70 in making the packing a soft cushion thus promoting the comfort of. the user. This is a very important feature since thereby I avoid any irritation which arises when a foreign body such as a cotton plug is used.

In a device of this character, it is extremely vital that there be no harsh edges exposed since the lining of the vaginal canal is so extremely sensitive.

The laminae 4' in Fig. 11 are more or less dished-shaped, and each lamina in this species, is disc-shaped.

After the preferred form of pack has been formed, one side thereof is folded inwardly to form a re-entrant angle 8 thus forming the device into a posterior segment 5 comprising two inner layers of the pack and an anterior segment ill comprising two exterior layers. These segments are of course joined together at their ends II. In this position, and when compressed in the sheath, the reentrant angle 8 constitutes a sulcus, as described below. In order to insert the pack within the sheathv i2, the parts thereof may be moved into position shown approximately in Fig. 4.

The preferred form of the pack leaves a space l3 between the apex H of the posterior segment 9 and the inner side I5 of the apex I6 of the anterior segment ID. This construction is for the purpose of permitting the apex of the posterior segment 9 to act as a wedge to start the spread of the anterior segment l when the pack is being deformed to its transverse elongation as counter pressure is being exerted on the apex l6 through contact thereof with the vaginal vault. The transverse elongation of the pack may be also furthered by rotating the inserting instrument on its longitudinal axis after the pack has left the sheath (see Fig.

As before-mentioned, the pack is preferably located within the sheath i2, and some means must be employed to remove this pack from the sheath after the sheath has been given the proper location within the vaginal canal. A suitable inserting instrument that may be employed embraces a head I! from which centrally depends a handle it. Also carried by the head i1 and at right angles to the width of the handle i8 is a spreading end l9. In the illustrative form shown in the drawings, the spreading end I9 is located in the re-entrant angle 8 which constitutes a sulcus, and it will be noticed upon referring particularly to Figs. 2, 4 and 5 that the width of the head i! is such that it will rest in contact with the ends ll of the pack and so permit pressure to be exerted against this latter by said head.

The user may locate the sheath substantially in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 with the broad side of the handle I8 facing away from her, and when the sheath has finally been positioned, she will hold it at its outer end with one hand while she advances the pack by pressing against the handle of the inserting instrument. After the pack leaves the sheath she will start to rotate the inserting instrument as shown in Fig. 5 continuing to rotate it until the narrow side of the inserting instrument points outwardly forwardly so that the pack will finally substantially assume the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

Obviously, however, the pack may be placed in the final position shown in-said figures in any desired way, as for instance, the primary position of the broad side of the handle I 8 may be parallel with the thighs, in which case axial rotation of the handle will be unnecessary, spreading being effected merely by pressure on the rear end of the pack. With an initial position such as shown in the drawings, the final spread of the 9,099,497 pack is facilitated by" the outer end of the head II as shown clearly in Fig. 6.

The head I1 is tapered down to the shaft or handle If so as to facilitate the withdrawal of the inserting instrument, with the sheath l2, and to avoid any possibility of the pack being then withdrawn.

The pack will be sold, preferably, in a sheath which may have a forward tapered closed end 20 that will readily open to internal pressure, and the rear end of this sheath may be folded to close it. The user will open the rear end of the sheath and instructions will be given to place the end it of the inserting instrument in the anions and advance the sheath into the vaginal orifice and as above explained the broad side of the handle it may be facing forwardly of the user's body. This will insure that the pack will be properly positioned for passage through the vaginal canal- I .The sheath may be'made of any suitable material, preferably paper glazed on both sides, and in order to lubricate the sheath externally, it will preferably be coated with any. [suitable material readily softened by water,'such as dry soap,

'mucilage or gum. The natural glaze given the I under pressure exerted therea'gainst by the forward end of the pack. Because of the tensile 40 strength possessed by the sheath, it may be wound tightly around the pack to compress the same into its smallest dimensions. If desired, the sheath may be wrapped more tightly around the base of the pack and less tightly around the forward end thereof.

' While I prefer to use a sheath, it must be understood that I do not confine myself to the use thereof, since I may provide a suitable coating for the pack itself which when moistened in water will soften to reduce -friction while the pack is being placed, and it will dissolve rapidly enough, or burst open enough, to permit the pack to perform its function of an absorbent.

The material'to coat the pack may be those al-' .ready-mentioned to be used to coat the sheath.

It will be understood by one. skilled in the art that a pack made within the spirit of my inven'- tion, because of its somewhat loose construction,

particularly in its preferred and modified forms illustrated, has no fixed shape or size so that it conforms to the requirements of the cavity, and

does not (like a pessary) make the cavity con-' form to its size and shape.

As the cavity has somewhat elastic walls, the

l pack, having no fixed size of its own, being adthe cavity.

Since the pack is a deformable unit, it is retained in place merely by being positioned to lie transversely above the muscular barrier or wall present at the lower part of the vagina, and is not retained in situ by virtue of any impinging or tight-fitting grip -.nor by any strap or other supporting device.

This pack may readily be sterilized or medicated in the process of manufacture. or later on if desired.

A pack constructed according to the spirit of this invention, will be made of absorbent suitable vegetable material throughout, and since it has no impervious part or layer to restrain or confine menstrual discharges it is in no sense a plug, and it in no way interferes with the free exit of these discharges. Because of the nature of the pack, when it becomes saturated, it will allow the egress of the excess quantity of discharge and so will not cause any damming back.

It has been clearly herein set forth that a pack constructed according to the preferred form of this invention will present a broad surface to the vaginal vault.

One of the efficient forms of my invention is that disclosed in Fig. 7. This form of the pack is collapsible without material change of circumference to a prolate spheroidal shape ready for insertion, and capable, after insertion, of having its greatest extension changed from longitudinal to transverse. This or any other form of my inven-- tion may be located by means of a pencil-like instrument (not shown) ,or by digital manipulation. Pressure should be applied on'the inner side of the ring at one side thereof. When the ring-like form of pack is located at. the uterine cervix, by pressing against the outer end thereof it will be deformed to greatly increase its transverse extension at the expense of its length.

It will be noted that in all forms shown, the porous paper-like material is wound, piled, folded or otherwise loosely assembled, in a dry state, in such ways that all or most of the adjacent surfaces are in slip-contact relation, and when inserted in the enlarged upper portion of the vagina, endwise pressures and spreading pressures, either initially applied through the instrument during insertion, or subsequently applied by bodily movements during use, will cause more or less bending, unfo1ding, cracking open and slipping of contact surfaces on one another to form fluid storage intersp'aces and to accommodate the shape of the pack to the varying shapes of the vaginal cavity. The assemblies are such that, the pack may be I laterally confined in a sheath, and this may be a flexible wrapper, operating to substantially stiffen the dry pack therein,. thereby facilitating insertion through they muscularly constricted lower portion of the vagina. In running water, the quality of the porous paper material makes it readily disintegrable; and the loose assembly in the pack makes it structually dlsintegrable, particularly so after the pull cord has been detached.

From many experiments carried on in connection with this invention, I have found that it possesses among others, the following important advantages:

I This pack provides a menstrual dressing that while preferably placed in position by the aid of apositioning device can nevertheless be readily positioned by digital manipulation alone, and as the device is of relatively small compass, it can be carried in a hand-satchel or purse, and immediately available in case of emergency.

This pack completely eliminates all trace .of body odor without the use of chemical or mechanical deodorants.

By reason of its nature, this pack will not cause irritation, abrasion, or excoriation of the sensitive vaginal lining, nor of the soft skin about the genital parts.

From actual practice, I have found that my pack may be advantageously used to allay the effects of leucorrhoeal or other discharges frequently associated with menstruation, and as a dressing for diseased conditions of the vagina met with in obstetrical and gynecological practice.

The pack made of the preferred material is saturated more slowly than one made of absorbent cotton, and it retains its load much better than a pack made of this latter material when subjected to compression after saturation, due, in part to the capillary spaces among the laminae.

Unlike absorbent cotton which becomes relatively hard and compact under compression and forms a relatively unyielding body which forces the surrounding body to conform to its shape rather than itself conform to the shape of the surrounding body, the laminated state of my pack permits it to crack open here and there and so adapt itself to the direction from which force is applied, as in sitting, or stooping.

It will be understood that in practice the weight and dimensions of my packs admit of variations, depending on the quality of the paper, on the number and primary diameter of the windings, on the looseness with which they are wound, and particularly on the sharpness of bend of the fold and the degree of compression or flattening to which they are subjected before or after they are confined in the sheath. For instance, in certain cases the length of the pack may be substantially less than 3 inches and the laminations may be compressed to less than 1 inch.

I am aware that various types of paper stock commonly used for "toilet paper, have also been employed for external catamenial pads or sanitary napkins, but from the very conditions of external use it has always been found necessary to combine such porous types of paper with long, wide wrappers or cores of materials which will not disintegrate but will remain of great tensile strength even when soaked, this being necessary in order that the pad may be securely suspended from the ends by safety pins or the like. As contrasted with this, an important feature of my invention is the discovery that by reason of the above described design for internal use as a pack, non-disintegrable wrappers or cores may be entirely omitted from the pack when in operative position, the combined tensile strength of all the layers of individually weak, disintegrable paper being amply suflicient for safe withdrawal thereof by a string or cord member looped through the ring so that its tension takes effect upon and is borne by all the layers. In this connection it is to be noted that at the time of withdrawal, the

exterior as well as the interior surfaces of the layers are well lubricated by the catamenial fluids with which they have become saturated; also the withdrawal is normally downward and so is as sisted by gravity.

I have discovered that because of these various contributing factors, the maximum withdrawal stresses are negligible as compared with even the minimum tension stresses to which an external catamenial pad is subjected when in use. Consequently, it is safe to make the device entirely of papers which are most easily disintegrable by running water, as in toilet plumbing, and which are at the same time of most porous texture and of greatest fluid-absorbent capacity.

As is obvious, the short loosely held withdrawal string 3, cannot clog toilet plumbing; and the same thing is true in case a turn or two strengthening string is wound in the ring as at I, Fig. 3.

Subject matter not specifically claimed herein, such as the combination of the pack with the sheath or with the ejector; or certain specific types of paper peculiarly adapted for the laminae of the pack; or the like, is reserved for, and is claimed in my later copending application Ser. No. 150,065, which is a divisional continuation in part of this application.

While I have described what I consider to be the best embodiments within my invention, it must be understood that the principle thereof may be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of my claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an internal catamenial pack at first having more or less a ring-like form made from strip material of suitable porous vegetable matter spirally more or less loosely wound, one side of the device being folded inwardly thus forming a centrally located reentrant angle, thereby forming the device into posterior and anterior segments, the apex of the posterior segment being spaced apart from the inner side of the apex of the anterior segment.

2. The combination with the pack as set forth in claim 1, of a pull cord engaging the device around the posterior segment.

3. The combination with the pack as set forth in claim 1, of flexible means associated therewith to prevent the sloughing away of any portion of the pack during its removal, and more resistant to the disintegrating effect of moisture than the body of said device.

4. An internal catamenial pack formed of a ring of flexible absorbent material having opposite sides adapted to be pressed into contact to give its exterior substantially the form of a prolate spheroid, the thickness of the ring being materially less than its internal diameter and whereby it is readily insertable in the vagina and pressure on its ends will increase its transverse extension at the expense of its length.

5. An internal catamenial pack as set forth in claim 4, formed of a plurality of superimposed circumferentially extending plies whereby the transverse extension of the device under end pressure is facilitated.v

6. An internal catamenial pack as set forth in claim 4, formed of a plurality of superimposed circumferentially extending, spirally-wound plies whereby the transverse extension of the device under end pressure is facilitated.

7. An internal catamenial pack formed of a ring of flexible absorbent material having a width approximately twice its thickness and its internal diameter materially greater than its thickness, whereby it may be compressed to form an elongated pad of approximately cylindrical form and may thereafter be deformed to greatly increase its transverse extension at the expense of its length.

8. An internal catamenial pack comprising a flexible ring, formed of absorbent material, and substantially unchangeable in circumference, having opposite sides pressed into contact to give its exterior an elongated form, whereby it is readily insertable in the vagina and pressure on the ends will increase its transverse extension to an extent approximating the dimensions of its original length.

9. An internal catamenial pack formed of a ring of absorbent material having a width of apstrip material of suitable porous vegetable matter easily disintegrated by running water, said strip material being spirally more or less loosely wound, one side of the device being folded inwardly thus forming a centrally located re-entrant angle, forming the device into posterior and anterior segments, and a flexible retracting means arranged to apply tension upon a multi-.

plicity of the layers constituting said anterior segment, whereby the device may be withdrawn from operative position.

11 An internal catamenial pack formed of a ring of flexible absorbent material having opposite sides adapted to be pressed into contact to elongate the same; the thickness of the ring being materially less than its internal diameter and whereby it is readily insertable in the vagina andpressure on its ends will increase its transverse extension at the expense of its length.

' diameter greater than its thickness, said device the form of a pad and comprising a multiplicity of thin layers, of number, dimensions andshape suitable for the enlargement of the upper partof the vagina, the exposed edges of some of the layers slightly overlapping the edges of other layers to increase flexibility of the side edges of the pad.

15.*A catamenial pack for internal use, comprising layers of readilydisintegrable, highly absorptive, flexible paper; and associated with said layers, a flexible, slough-preventing member of greater tensile strength and less disintegrable by water, and a withdrawing string detachably looped around a portion of the pack and around said slough preventing member, whereby tension of the withdrawing string may be transmitted to said pack and take effect on said slough preventing member, when the pack is withdrawn by tension applied to said withdrawing string, I

16. A catamenial pack for internal use comprising dry, thin paper of a type that is porous, highly absorptive and readily disintegrable by water, said paper being in the form of an elongated pack of size and shape suitable for insertion in the vagina; and said pack having associated therein and therewith, flexible slough preventing means of greater tensile strength andless disintegrable by water than is said paper, and flexible withdrawing means associated with said pack and slough preventing member, whereby the pack may be withdrawn by tension applied through said withdrawing means.

17. A catamenialpack for internal use comprising dry, thin paper of a type that is porous, highly absorptive and readily disintegrable by water, said paper being in the form of an elongated pack of size-and shape suitable for insertion in the vagina and comprising layers free to slip on one another so that after insertion the pack is deformable and may be made to assume a more or less transverse position in the upper part of the vagina; said layers having associated therein and therewith, flexible slough preventing means of greater tensile strength and less disintegrable by water than is said paper; and flexible withdrawing means loosely assocated with said pack and with said slough preventing means, whereby the pack may be withdrawn by tension applied through said withdrawing means.

, FREDERICK ALEXANDER ROSS. 

